Three-Star Trait

Four days passed in the blink of an eye, and sure enough, Chu Ge signed in and obtained four more one-star traits.

Their content still hadn't strayed beyond the scope of that Dou-something Continent.

[Si Dong Fist]-thoughts gushing like a spring.

[Nian Dong Sword]-never forgotten.

[Hao Dong Palm]-life after life.

When he completed Hao Dong's Three Ultimate Techniques over three consecutive days, Chu Ge nearly laughed himself out of breath.

So the system was putting together a set for him.

On the fourth day, he signed in and obtained [Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo].

Adding the one he'd gotten before, Chu Ge had now accumulated five one-star traits in his inventory.

He forced himself not to synthesize them, waiting specifically for the sixth one-star trait so he could make a single push for three stars.

At midnight on the fifth day, Chu Ge signed in right on time.

[Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the one-star trait "Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo."]

As expected. No surprise at all.

Without wasting words, he gave the order in his mind: System, synthesize all six of these one-star traits for me.

[Understood. Beginning synthesis for the host.]

[Synthesizing...]

Watching the synthesis progress bar slowly creep forward, Chu Ge wore a solemn expression and muttered under his breath:

"It'll succeed."

"It definitely will."

The next second, the system notification sounded.

[Synthesis complete!]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host on obtaining the two-star trait "Fierce"-after being attacked, there is a chance of reflecting damage. Both the chance of reflection and the proportion of damage reflected are fixed at thirty percent and do not change with realm.]

Chu Ge's eyes flickered when he saw the trait's effect.

When someone hit him, there was a thirty percent chance of reflecting thirty percent of the damage.

On paper, it was usable enough, but the trouble was that, like Evasion, it was a passive skill. He had to take a hit before it could trigger.

Chu Ge's assessment was blunt: not as good as Iron Cavalry.

The higher his realm, the greater Iron Cavalry's advantage.

Once he became strong enough for his attack range to cover all of Blue Star, he could hit whoever he wanted, even if he stayed at home without moving.

Immediately afterward, the second notification of a successful synthesis sounded.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host on obtaining the two-star trait "Feedback"-after being attacked, immediately take one percent of the opponent's maximum health and restore it to yourself. You may take health from the same target no more than ten times a day.]

Chu Ge rubbed his chin and considered it.

This was another trait with a damage-reflection effect, a passive with a limited number of uses. But this skill could not only drain an enemy's health, it could also restore his own. Although it could only take effect ten times a day against the same person, it had the advantage of triggering reliably, without depending on luck.

In a low-level melee, this trait was practically a god-tier skill.

Just think: the more people ganged up on you, the more Feedback you'd receive, and the faster your health would recover.

As for whether it was strong in a one-on-one fight, that was hard to say. It was better than nothing.

[Ding! The host currently possesses three two-star traits and has met the conditions for a three-star synthesis. Synthesize?]

[Friendly reminder: gambling involves risk. Please synthesize with caution. The system accepts no responsibility in the event of failure.]

"Do I look like someone who's afraid of that?" Chu Ge scoffed. "It's just a card game. How can you call it gambling?"

"It's called taking a chance: turn a bicycle into a motorcycle, two stars into three. I've got to synthesize."

[Beginning synthesis.]

[Synthesizing...]

As the progress bar slowly inched forward, Chu Ge had already prepared two responses in his mind.

If the synthesis succeeded, he'd put on a modest expression and say, "A fluke, just a fluke."

If it failed, he'd say expressionlessly, "It's merely a little wind and frost..."

The key was knowing when to bend and when to stand tall.

Before long, the pleasant notification sounded.

[Synthesis successful.]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host on obtaining the three-star trait "Instant"-an active skill. Once activated, your speed will continue to increase as time passes. Twofold speed in the first minute, fourfold in the second, eightfold in the third... It continues to stack in this manner, with no upper limit.]

Those words, "no upper limit," gave Chu Ge a start.

Didn't that mean he could keep Instant active indefinitely, as long as he had enough Primordial Force?!

If that were really the case, his speed could surpass the speed of light in less than an hour.

With such absurd speed, he could swagger through the martial world unchallenged.

But Chu Ge also knew that pies didn't fall from the sky. If Instant were really that powerful, it wouldn't be just a three-star trait.

Sure enough, the next second, the system poured cold water on him.

[Warning: high-speed movement itself will tear muscles and break bones. If the host's physical strength cannot keep up with the speed, the host may die outright from overload.]

[Another point to remember: the rate at which "Instant" consumes Primordial Force will also increase over time, growing at the same explosively exponential rate.]

After hearing the warnings, Chu Ge shook his head. There really was no such thing as a free lunch.

For the time being, though, he put that price out of his mind.

After using [Iron Cavalry] for synthesis, he had an empty trait slot in the Qi and Blood Realm, so he equipped Instant in it.

He planned to go out and test the new trait.

There was too little room at home to use it freely.

He changed into a tracksuit and picked up the Tang saber resting in the corner. It was a top-grade bronze weapon that Chu Ge had played with since he was little, and he'd brought it from the family armory especially when he moved.

Then he went downstairs and wandered over to Lakeside Park, not far from home.

In the dead of night, the streetlights were still on in the park, but there wasn't another soul in sight besides Chu Ge, making it perfect for testing.

With a thought, he activated [Instant].

A feeling of lightness immediately spread through his body, and he felt considerably more agile.

He drew the Tang saber and raised it high over his head. Its silvery-white blade gleamed coldly under the streetlights.

The next second, Chu Ge brought the saber down.

Swish!

The blade sliced through the air, whipping up a gust that sent the fallen leaves nearby spinning.

Chu Ge raised an eyebrow at the result.

This was only twice his speed, yet the improvement was already so obvious. What would happen if he kept stacking it higher?

The second minute soon arrived.

Instant advanced automatically, doubling his speed again.

Now moving at four times his speed, Chu Ge raised his saber and slashed down again.

Swish!

This slash was much faster than the last, the blade leaving an afterimage and stirring up a stronger current of air.

But correspondingly, the rate at which he consumed Primordial Force had doubled as well.

At the same time, Chu Ge felt his blood growing hot and his body temperature rising steadily.

He pressed a hand to his chest. His heart was pounding considerably faster than usual.

Chu Ge understood that his body was warning him: his current speed was already a little too fast.

But he knew this still wasn't his limit, and he had no intention of turning the skill off.

The third minute arrived.

Instant advanced once more, doubling his speed again to eight times normal.

Chu Ge raised his saber and slashed down once more.

Swish!

The slash was absurdly fast, drawing out a long afterimage and leaving a white streak in midair that quickly faded.

This was already the rudiment of saber qi, and he'd forced it out purely through speed.

But Chu Ge didn't feel particularly excited.

Because after that slash, a tearing pain was already coming from the muscles in his arm.

His Primordial Force was being consumed faster, his heart was pounding harder, and his face was beginning to pale.

It was only the third minute, and his body was already showing obvious adverse reactions.

By that calculation, his limit should be the fourth stage: sixteen times his normal speed.

The fourth minute arrived right on time.

Chu Ge took a deep breath, raised his saber, and slashed down as usual.

Swish!

Too fast.

The slash was as swift as lightning.

As the blade fell, a concentrated force slashed out with it, heading straight for a camphor tree not far away.

The saber qi passed through the tree and slowly dissipated into the air.

Chu Ge stared at the camphor tree without moving.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

The trunk first swayed, then slid diagonally down along the cut before crashing to the ground, kicking up a great cloud of dust.

Only then did Chu Ge walk over, his gaze settling on the cut in the stump.

The surface was smooth and even, the cut clean and decisive.

If Xiao Yan, with the [Enhancement] trait activated, had already reached the threshold of an ordinary early-stage Black Iron Realm cultivator in combat power,

then Chu Ge, with Instant at sixteen times his normal speed, could already fight a Black Iron Realm cultivator in earnest and might even have a chance to kill one.

But Chu Ge couldn't feel happy about it at all.

The Primordial Force consumption at sixteen times speed was simply too fierce.

Chu Ge felt as though a giant pump had been installed inside him. After three minutes, he had still had half his Primordial Force left, but in a few seconds, it had nearly run dry.

He was in terrible shape now: his throat was dry, his head was spinning, his face was deathly pale, and every muscle in his body ached with a pulling pain.

He hurriedly turned off [Instant].

His Primordial Force stopped draining, but he'd also reached his limit. His legs gave way, and his body pitched straight forward.

Thud.

His forehead struck the stump solidly, the Tang saber slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, and he rolled down the earthen slope, straight into a patch of grass.

Quiet returned to the surroundings. Only the streetlights remained lit, shining on the weakened Chu Ge lying on the ground and the fallen camphor tree beside him.

For a moment, the scene was utterly comical.

He'd just gotten his hands on a three-star trait, and before he'd even had a chance to use it in a real fight, he'd gone and nearly killed himself.

Chu Ge lay in the grass, unable to move, with only one thought in his mind:

I can't do that again next time.

After recovering for quite a while, he managed to raise an arm and brace himself against the ground, slowly sitting up.

He had a bump on his forehead, every bone in his body felt as though it had come apart, and his Primordial Force was completely depleted. He was more exhausted than if he'd fought someone for three days and three nights.

Chu Ge sat in the grass and stared silently at the stump for a long while.

It seemed that although Instant was powerful, it was entirely a skill for risking his life.

In an ordinary one-on-one fight, four times speed was about right. Even eight times speed had to be used with caution. Sixteen times speed was his trump card, and he absolutely couldn't use it recklessly unless it was a matter of life and death.

Otherwise, if the enemy didn't die and he overloaded and dropped dead first, that would really be a joke.

He rested for a full half hour before he managed to recover a little strength. Then he picked up the Tang saber and limped home.

Tomorrow, he'd have to come back and see about paying the park manager for the damaged camphor tree.

Still, it was fortunate he'd tested it in the park.

If he'd been at home, that last slash would have meant finding someone to renovate the place again.

By the time he got home, it was almost dawn.

Chu Ge put the Tang saber back in the corner and collapsed onto his bed, without even the strength to move a finger.

But complaints aside, he knew full well that Instant had an absurdly high upper limit.

As long as his physical strength caught up and he had enough Primordial Force in reserve, the skill would be a true weapon of mass destruction.

Once his speed stacked up, no one would be able to touch him, while he could take them down with one slash each.

Chu Ge's thoughts grew hazy, and he soon fell asleep.